Magnus the Great
by Serpent1
Summary: The Jellicles have long been a thorn in the side of the Pollicles. Everyone who tried to eliminate them has failed. But that is about to change. Magnus the Great has a plan that will ensure the tribe's destruction.
1. Chapter 1

Magnus the Great

Magnus the Great

Disclaimer: I do not own Cats the musical. Just this story.

Chapter 1: A Massing of Pollicles

"Let go of me you flea infested freak!"

Oso sighed; this cat had not stopped yapping since he and Rohl caught it sneaking around near the border of Pollicle territory. The larger Bull Mastiff originally wanted to kill the intruding cat then and there but Rohl had said that this squirming, mouthy feline could be a Jellicle cat. And they had strict orders to bring in any Jellicles they found alive.

"Ugghh, don't breathe on me," the cat snarled, "Your breath smells like a litter box left out in the sun!"

"Oh shut up furball," Rohl growled voicing what Oso wished he could say if his mouth wasn't full. He was beginning to agree with his friend; they should've just killed this cat when they found it. But if they did that and it turned out the cat was a Jellicle, Magnus would not be happy with them. Their leader was, normally, a calm and collected dog; rarely angry or upset about anything. They had seen him annoyed plenty of times but he never lost his temper. Unless of course you screwed up something important. Then he really let loose and you did not want to be around Magnus when he was angry. The two Bull Mastiffs had seen their leader's anger once before and the dog he was angry at, well, what happened to him was better left unmentioned.

But all that mattered right now to the two dogs was taking their prisoner to see Magnus; if it was a Jellicle then their leader could move on with the rest of his grand plan. If not, a free meal for them.

The cat continued to squirm but stopped once he saw where the dogs were taking him. He recognized the old warehouse immediately as Macavity's old lair; the ginger cat had been killed two months ago by that…_thing_…and his hench cats had scattered to the four winds. Well, not all of them; a group of five had rallied together making a vow to find and kill the thing but it found them first; killed them one by one, weakening the group slowly until only two remained alive. He remembered seeing the thing after it had killed the last of the two; tall, lean with silver fur that made it look like a ghost in the moonlight. And those eyes; he shuddered at the memory. How anyone could call that thing a hero for killing Macavity was beyond him.

The two dogs entered the warehouse and began picking their through the group of dogs that were lounging around the main area. Rohl sometimes couldn't believe how quickly the warehouse was filling up. It'd only been a week ago that Magnus had sent them out with a message to all the Pollicles in London. The message had simply been that if they truly wished to be free of the Jellicles, then they should come to Macavity's lair and listen to what their leader had planned. Most dogs they encountered had laughed at them, saying that others had tried to get rid of the Jellicles and they'd all failed. What could their so called leader do? And yet, here they were; Rohl recognized several of the naysayers talking amongst themselves, curious as to what exactly these dogs were going to do. More were trickling in every day; Rohl wondered if the warehouse was large enough to hold them all.

As they made their way through the group, some dogs looked up expectantly, thinking this cat Oso and Rohl had brought in was for them but one glare from either of the Mastiffs made them back off. They wandered down to the end of the room and into a smaller storage room which once served as Macavity's throne room. When the Pollicles had moved in, the first thing Magnus had done was get rid of the ginger's throne; he had no use for it and besides that, the last thing he wanted was to address his potential allies smelling like a cat.

Once inside the doorway, both Mastiffs bowed their heads in respect but the cat huffed irritably at a large Irish Wolfhound lying on a bed of blankets in the center of the room. He was lean and muscular with dark grey shaggy fur; to the cat, he didn't look any different from any of the other mongrels in the place so what made him so important?

"Put him down Oso," the Wolfhound said in a dignified voice adding after a pause, "Gently if you please."

Oso obeyed, gently putting the cat on the floor in front of his leader. The dog looked him over before asking, "Where did you find him?"

"He was sneaking around the east border," Rohl answered, "We didn't know if he was a Jellice or not so we brought him here."

"I am not a Jellicle," the tomcat spat angrily, "I wouldn't waste my time with those losers."

The Wolfhound shook his head. "Such terrible manners," he said, "Don't you know it's rude to speak when you're not spoken to?"

"Eat my tail," the cat sneered, "I'll _speak_ when I _want_. I don't take orders from some prissy, high end mutt like you."

Oso and Rohl instinctively backed up a step; no one dared to insult their leader like that and judging from the hard look on Magnus's face, this cat had just signed his death warrant. Magnus rose from his bed and walked over to the tomcat who was immediately quieted by the sheer size of the Pollicle leader. He leaned in close so his narrow face was inches away from the cat.

"What did you call me?" he asked in a low and dangerous tone. The cat didn't answer. Magnus looked at him a moment longer, realizing the cat was obviously intimidated and wouldn't give the answers he wanted like this. Taking a breath to calm himself again, Magnus asked, "Are you a Jellicle or not?"

"N-no,"

"In that case," Magnus said rising to his full height and smiling at his bodyguards, "Gentlemen, enjoy your meal. But…make its death quick. You know how I detest their screaming."

Both Mastiffs beamed; Rohl quickly reached down and grabbed the cat by the scruff again then headed for the door.

"Oso," Magnus said stopping the larger Mastiff, "One last thing. Have they all arrived yet?"

"There's still some coming in but they're all pretty much here already."

Magnus nodded and the Mastiff hurried off to catch up with his friend. He would wait for a while longer; allow them to enjoy their meal before he addressed everyone. Lying back down again, Magnus ran through the details of his grand plan once more in his mind smiling to himself. He would succeed where others had failed.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Their Greatest Advantage

Chapter 2: Their Greatest Advantage

The coming night dissipated most of the heat from the day making it more comfortable for moving around but it could've been twenty below for all Wisp cared. It had been a hard two months for him; having to deal with the loss of his beloved Swansea felt like someone had taken a dagger and cut his heart from his chest. There had been days where he couldn't bring himself to do anything except lie in his pipe, remaining invisible, watching the world move around him. Other times he couldn't bear to stay in there; he had to move around, he had to see her again. Those days he would go down to the Thames and sit on the spot where Macavity had brutally murdered her listening to the rolling water and imagining her sitting next to him. His heart would ache tremendously and a couple of times, he caught himself nearly crying.

As time passed however, things had changed. He no longer went down to the Thames; there was no point now. She was gone and he had to accept that. She wouldn't want him to mourn her forever. He didn't visit the fish restaurant anymore either; not because of painful memories but because the last time he went there, he discovered the chef who used to feed him was gone. The new chef, just his luck, happened to be a human who hated cats and had no problem throwing his work boot at him or trying to douse him with a pot of water. Not that it mattered much; Wisp had never had much use for humans anyway.

Wisp wandered quietly, unseen, through the darkening streets of London, not particularly going anywhere, just…wandering. He didn't really care if he came across a former hench cat of Macavity's or one of the Jellicles or anybody for that matter. Some cats had said that he was starting to act like the Hidden Paw; cold, uncaring and cruel. Wisp scoffed at them; they didn't understand what it was like to lose the one you cared for the most in this world. To be unable to help her when she needed you and being forced to watch her die; it would change anyone. They didn't understand is all; no one did.

Hearing a familiar noise nearby, Wisp stopped and glanced to his left. _Speak of the devil._ Two calicos were hurrying along with sacks over their shoulders just down the street from him. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer no doubt; he'd seen those two plenty of times over the last two months, if not he heard Rumpleteazer's giggle, but he never allowed them to see him. Seeing them always brought back memories of how he'd been tricked by Macavity and tonight, he was in no mood for memories.

Turning right, Wisp wandered down an alleyway that he hadn't tried before; whenever he was out wandering, he always went left. He became a bit more cautious as he moved through the alley keeping an eye out for any unwelcome problems. He wasn't afraid; with the way his powers had grown in the last little while, he felt he shouldn't be afraid of anything. Almost nothing could touch him.

Stepping out of the alley, he instinctively jumped back as a group of five Pollicles trotted past. Right behind them was another group of three. Odd; Pollicle packs hardly ever traveled together and judging by the way these two groups were moving, they all seemed to be hurrying somewhere. His curiosity peaked, Wisp waited until the second pack had passed him then slipped out and followed them, being sure to keep his distance.

The two groups of dogs trotted through a dirty, run down section of London; Macavity's old territory if Wisp remembered right. Why were they here? Pollicle territory was the entire east side of the city; they had no reason to come here. A few minutes later, they arrived at the Napoleon of Crime's former lair and quickly went inside. The silver cat followed shortly after them and had to clamp down on a gasp the instant he stepped inside.

_What in Bast's name?_

A huge grouping of Pollicles littered the floor of the warehouse; Wisp had never seen so many dogs before. It gave evenhim the chills. It looked like nearly every dog in London was here but for what? Whatever it was, it couldn't be good. Wisp quickly stepped aside as two more dogs came in behind him and started making his way around the massive group; he had noticed some movement at the other end of the floor and wanted to see what it was. He moved carefully; though he was invisible, one wrong step could mean instant death. Some dogs were known to have keen senses of smell also; if one of them caught his scent it was over. Nearing the other side of the warehouse, Wisp noticed a large Irish Wolfhound, the biggest Pollicle he'd ever seen, speaking to a pair of equally huge Bull Mastiffs. The silver cat stopped where he was and watched as the Wolfhound stepped onto a small pile of crates that served as a platform.

"My friends," he called out in a dignified manner; all the chattering quieted and the dogs focused on him. "I thank you all for answering my summons."

_So it was him who brought all these mutts together,_ Wisp thought bitterly, _that's just perfect._

"Allow me to introduce myself," the Wolfhound continued, "I…am Magnus the Great." He stood with his head high as if saying his name would put the dogs in awe of him. A few snickered at his title earning them vicious glares from the Mastiffs.

"I have summoned you all here because we have a common bond," Magnus said, "Our equal hatred of the Jellicle tribe." The dogs grumbled in reply. "Many of our kind have tried to eliminate them and all of them have met with failure."

He waited for a moment for the grumbling to quiet. "I have studied their tactics and they were sound plans," Magnus continued, "If it had not been for the Jellicles greatest advantage over us, the tribe of cats would've been wiped out long ago. And I trust you all know what that advantage is."

The dogs agreed in unison. _Greatest advantage,_ Wisp thought, _what the hell is he talking about?_

"So what do you plan to do?" a Pollicle called out, "You said in your message that you have a way to ensure the Jellicles are wiped out and so far all you're doing is beating around the bush. Spill it already!" Several others agreed with the interrupter.

"I was _getting_ to that," Magnus said a little irritably. "As I was saying, you all know the advantage I speak of. Now, imagine if you will, the Jellicles greatest advantage…_turned against them._"

Surprise rippled through the assembled dogs which turned quickly into excitement. They chattered between themselves; yes, why hadn't they thought of that? If they could use the Jellicles advantage against them, they would wipe them out in no time.

"That is why I've asked my two associates here…" Magnus indicated the two Mastiffs on either side of him, "…to bring in any Jellicles they happen to find. For once we find the source of their advantage; we can use it against them and rid our city of their filth."

The dogs began to cheer and Wisp's heart froze; he didn't know what this _advantage_ Magnus kept referring to was, but he knew one thing for sure; he had to get to the junkyard and warn the tribe. Moving back around the group of cheering dogs as quickly and quietly as he could, Wisp grimaced; he had no idea how the Jellicles would react to him returning there. Would they even listen to him? A nagging voice in his mind told him that they wouldn't; that he shouldn't even bother going to junkyard in the first place. After all, these dogs weren't even after him; this was the Jellicles' problem, not his.

_And if the Pollicles wipe out the Jellicles, _his rational mind snapped, _can you live with the fact that you allowed them to die?_

Wisp sighed quietly. He had no desire to go back to the junkyard but it had to be done. As he neared the door, his tail brushed against the back of a cheering Pollicle who instantly turned around. The silver cat didn't bother stopping but hurried out the door.

"The heck was that?" the Pollicle asked the dog next to him.

"What?"

"I felt something brush against my back just now," he said still looking around.

"Who cares," the other dog said turning away. The Pollicle looked around a little bit more then dismissed it as nothing. With so many other dogs around, it was probably one of them.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Ghost Cat Returns

Alonzo stretched tiredly and yawned as he sat atop a tall junk pile overlooking the main gates. He hated this post; you just sat there watching the gates for a least a few hours until someone came to take your place. The only interruption of his boredom was when a couple of the kittens would scamper by chasing each other or when Munkustrap came to check on how things were going. How things were going…he was getting bored of his mind, that's how things were going! He would take the patrols over this any day; at least with that, you're moving around instead of being stuck in one spot like a statue. But tonight, no kittens came running past and Munk hadn't been around yet. If this kept up, he was likely to fall asleep on his feet. He yawned again.

"Don't nod off on me," a voice called making the black and white tom jump. He turned to see the Jellicle Protector making his way up the side of the junk pile toward him and was silently relieved.

_Finally he's here,_ Alonzo thought, _maybe now I'll be able to go and he'll sit up here for a while._

Munk grinned at his second as he reached the top of the pile and sat down next to him. "Bored out of your mind huh?"

"Not really," Alonzo lied, "I'm just getting a bit tired."

Munk chuckled. "Nice try," he said putting his paw on Alonzo's shoulder, "I can tell you're bored just by looking at you."

"Hm, is it that obvious?" Alonzo asked a half smirk creeping across his face.

"If you want to go, go ahead," Munk said, "I'll take over." _About time._ Standing up, Alonzo did his best to act natural even though he was beaming inside.

"Are you sure you won't get lonely?" he asked teasingly as he started to climb down, "You want me to send Demeter up here to keep you company?"

"Get outta here,"

Alonzo laughed and climbed down the rest of the way to the ground. It was such a relief to get off of there; his legs were starting to get cramped not to mention he was nearly asleep. Now that he could move, he felt a lot more awake and decided to go see what Pouncival and Tumblebrutus were up to.

Down the street, the Ghost Cat moved quickly toward the junkyard although he still felt quite torn about coming back here. The tribe needed to know about the Pollicles massing together and he wanted to find out exactly what this great advantage was. But at the same time, he couldn't help but wonder about their reaction to seeing him again.

_Why should you care about how they react, _that nagging part of him said, _all you're here to do is tell them about the Pollicles and that's it. So just go in there, find Munkustrap, tell him what's going on and get out._

Yeah, that's all he needed to do. He didn't have to stick around there longer than he had to. Just let them know what's happening and leave it at that. As he neared the gates, he looked up to see Munkustrap sitting atop a pile of junk alertly watching the main gate below. Perfect, just the cat he needed to see. He didn't even have to go inside now; he could just tell Munk from outside the fence. However, the silver tabby suddenly turned to look behind him for a moment, then disappeared in a hurry. _Well, so much for that idea,_ Wisp thought growing irritated, _guess I'll have to do this the hard way._

The tribe grew anxious when Plato had called to Munkustrap that two of Macavity's hench cats had been seen at the north side of the junkyard. They had believed the ginger cat's henchmen had all scattered when their leader had been killed two months ago but obviously there were still a few stragglers left. The greatest fear was that they had chosen a new leader and were coming back for revenge.

"I wonder what they're up to," Pounce said as he and Tumble lay on the trunk of the TSE-1. They had both seen Munk hurry off toward the north end of the yard with Plato and Alonzo in tow.

"I don't know," Tumble said as he stretched, "I don't think they'd be stupid enough to attack us anyway."

Pouncival was about to say something else when the main gate was suddenly thrown open. The tribe looked toward the entrance, nervous that maybe there were more than just two hench cats out there but they saw nothing. Pounce and Tumble got off the TSE-1 and started walking toward the open gate, curious as to how it could've been opened when there wasn't a breath of wind anywhere. They were halfway across the clearing when the night split apart revealing the lean silver form of the Ghost Cat.

A series of gasps were torn from the throats of the tribe as the silver cat slowly walked forward, his face a stony mask of caution. Jennyanydots and Jellylorum called the kittens to them, hustling them into their den but Pounce and Tumble were too far away. In order to get to the den they'd have to pass right in front of the Ghost Cat and there was no way either of them was going to try.

They were all afraid just as he had thought. He could see it written on their faces and he could hear their whisperings as he slowly came to the center of the clearing and stopped.

"What's he doing here?"

"I thought he was dead,"

"Look at him. He looks like Macavity,"

Wisp turned his head at that comment; he had heard that enough times and it was starting to annoy him. His gaze came to rest on Demeter and she instinctively shrank back. Bombalurina held her protectively. On the other side of the clearing, Pounce, believing the Ghost Cat was going to attack Demeter, picked up a rock and threw it at the silver cat's head despite Tumble whispering to him not to. The rock flew toward the Ghost Cat but instead of hitting him, it changed direction slightly and began to _circle_ his head. The silver cat's icy gaze locked on him then and Pounce barely resisted the urge to run. The rock however, suddenly gained speed then flung itself back toward the kitten giving him no chance to dodge it. Jenny shouted at him to move but Pouncival was frozen to the spot.

Just when it seemed the rock would hit him squarely in the face, it stopped in mid air; the tip of it lightly touching Pouncival's nose. It moved away a short distance then shattered, spraying the kitten with dust and pebbles. Pounce cried out in shock when the pieces of rock hit him then vigorously wiped the dust out of his fur in embarrassment. Clearing his eyes, he saw the Ghost Cat had a cruel smile upon his face as if he'd enjoyed scaring him. That smile was gone an instant later.

"Next time," Wisp said in a dangerous tone, "I won't miss."

Cassandra had run off when Wisp came in to get Munkustrap and now the Jellicle Protector, along with Plato and Alonzo, arrived in the clearing stopping short at the sight that greeted him.

"Wisp," he said quietly. The Ghost Cat turned toward him, a light smirk playing at the corner of his mouth.

"Glad to see you remember me Munk,"

"What are you doing here?" Munkustrap asked sternly.

_Right to the point…as always. _"I'm here to give you a warning," Wisp said evenly, "The Pollicles are massing together."

Mutters of worry and disbelief rippled through the tribe. Munk himself was a bit skeptical. "How do you know?"

"I've _seen them_," Wisp said a bit harshly, not liking being thought of as a liar, "They're massing at Macavity's old lair and they're being led by a dog that calls himself Magnus the Great."

Munk was silent for a moment. If Wisp was telling the truth, and he had a feeling he was, then the tribe was in extreme danger. They could handle a small pack of Pollicles but this almost sounded like they were putting an army together. He needed to know more.

"Did you hear anything about their plans?"

"Only something about your _great advantage_ over them," Wisp said his eyes narrowing, "Whatever that is."

The Protector didn't answer and Wisp could tell he didn't know what they were talking about either. He didn't press the subject.

After waiting for a moment to see if Munk would ask anything more, which he didn't, Wisp turned and began heading for the gate.

"Wait," Munk said hurrying after him, "Where are you going?"

"I've done what I had to do," Wisp said matter of factly, "I warned you about the Pollicles, now I'm leaving."

"If what you're saying is true," Munk said firmly, "Then we'll need all the help we can get."

Wisp tilted his head slightly, a sarcastic smile on his face. "Are you sure you want me to stay here?" he asked. "Aren't you afraid I'm going to harm your tribe?"

Munk took a deep breath. He knew the tribe wasn't going to like this but there was no other choice in the matter. "I'm placing my trust in you that you won't," he said sternly, "Don't break that."

"As you wish," Wisp said with a light bow of his head.

As Munk turned to start getting the tribe ready for whatever the Pollicles were planning, he couldn't ignore the gnawing feeling in his stomach. He didn't like the way Wisp had responded. He sounded too much like Macavity for his liking. All he could do was pray to the Everlasting Cat that he wouldn't regret his decision.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Finding the Source

Two days had passed since Wisp's return and already Munkustrap was starting to feel the weight of his decision bearing down on him. The tribe hadn't been happy, as he'd suspected, but they had kept quiet for the moment; mostly from fear that the Ghost Cat would attack someone. But now the complaints were coming at him from all sides; Jemima was nervous at the way Wisp was watching her yesterday, Jenny didn't like the kittens playing outside with him around and Demeter said that Wisp acted so much like Macavity sometimes she was afraid to go near him. And to top it all off, some of the tribe who had human families were getting kind of antsy; they liked going back to visit their humans every two or three days just to let them know they were alright. Munkustrap had insisted that no one could leave the junkyard without an escort; usually a group of about four cats accompanied the one on their visit, waited for them outside, then walked with them back to the yard.

Victoria paced irritably as she waited for Plato to finish with his patrol so they could go on a visit to her humans. Being cooped in the junkyard like this was starting to wear on her nerves; she understood the necessity but she was worried that her humans would be wondering about her and pretty soon, they would start combing the streets for her. She had that unpleasant experience happen to her once; she had been out with Plato and she'd forgotten that it was the day she usually visited her humans and they found her and Plato together at the park. The father had shouted at Plato and of course he, in turn, had become protective. Since it was summertime, he had taken off his sandal, a weird looking thing that she couldn't describe if she tried, and threw it at her intended mate hitting him in the head. Plato had stumbled around dazed for a moment before collapsing. Victoria had meowed at them plaintively hoping they would understand she meant for them to leave him alone but they didn't. The son, who had come with him, snatched her up in his arms and carried her back to their car while the father put his ridiculous looking sandal back on, came back to the car as well and drove away. Needless to say, Plato wasn't too happy when she came back to the junkyard the next day and he had quite a big lump on the side of his head for at least a week. He hadn't stayed mad at her for very long however but he insisted that she never forget to visit her humans again. It hurt too much.

"Finally," she huffed as her mate came into their den.

"Sorry," Plato said, "Munk had me go with Alonzo on his patrol today too. He's really nervous about the north gate for some reason. I mean those hench cats that were there a couple of days ago took off as soon as they saw us and they haven't been back since. I would think a normal patrol there would be enough."

"Well, you know what Munk's like," Victoria said, not really wanting to hear about this, "Now come on, we have to get going."

"Oh yeah," Plato said with a small note of disgust, "Your humans."

Victoria sighed quietly; even though Plato had forgiven her for that time, he still carried a grudge against her humans. She supposed she couldn't blame him; if she got a sandal thrown at her, she wouldn't be so forgiving any time soon. But lately, every time she mentioned visiting her humans around him, he would go off into a rant about them all the way there and all the way back. It was fine the first couple of times because he was still a bit mad about it but it was annoying her now.

"Don't start," she said as they came out of their den and headed for the gate, "I don't want to hear it." Plato huffed and kept quiet but she knew it wouldn't last long.

Passing through the clearing, she noticed Wisp lying on top of a high junk pile looking down at them. The silver cat hadn't moved very much in the last two days except to hunt mice or to just stretch his legs. She figured he knew about all the complaints about him and decided it was best if he just stayed out of everyone's way. Although sometimes, she mused, she could swear that he looked lonely up there all by himself. She had seen him watching the different couples in the junkyard and she thought for sure one time he had seemed…sad. She had made a point of trying to talk to him but Plato had kept her away. Now though as they passed by, she gave him a genuine smile and although he didn't return it, he gave her a tiny nod in response. Well, better than nothing.

"Where are you two going?" They both turned to see Munkustrap striding towards them.

"I'm going to visit my humans," Victoria said, "Plato said he'd come with me."

"You know the rule Victoria," Munk said sternly, "No one leaves without an escort."

Plato opened his mouth to protest but closed it again. The Jellicle Protector looked frazzled; probably from all the complaints he'd been hearing so he figured it'd be best if they didn't rattle him more.

"Ok," Plato said shooting a "be quiet" look at Victoria who looked ready to argue, "We'll take Misto with us. With his magic, he's as good as two cats in one."

Munk still looked worried but he finally nodded and walked off. He called out for Mistoffelees and told the black tux to go with Victoria and Plato.

Further down the street, Oso and Rohl led their group of Pollicles in their search for Jellicle cats. In the past two days, there hadn't been much activity in the usual places where Jellicles could be found so Magnus had instructed them to go deeper into their territory.

"And while you're at it," he had said, "Scout out the junkyard as well. I want to know what we'll be up against when the time comes."

None of the group particularly liked the idea of going into Jellicle territory; the cats could be fearsome fighters when they were protecting their land and besides that, they had to keep a watchful eye for the Demon Cat. The Pollicle who had felt the light brush against his back at the meeting later said it felt like a cat's tail but he had seen nothing. The Pollicles instantly realized the Demon Cat had been present at their meeting; no doubt he had gone to warn the Jellicles which explained why they hadn't been seen. Several times, Oso or Rohl had to reprimand one of the dogs in their group for making too much noise; the Demon Cat had excellent hearing and it wouldn't hesitate to attack if it saw an opening.

_It's probably watching us now,_ Rohl thought as he looked around, _waiting for its chance._

"Sir," one of the Pollicles in the group said to Oso, "I was thinking; if Magnus wants us to find the source of the Jellicles advantage, wouldn't the Demon Cat suffice?"

"No," Oso answered gruffly, "The Demon Cat is not a Jellicle. Jellicles have different powers. Now keep your voice down!" Frankly, Oso didn't know what kind of powers the Demon Cat or the Jellicles had and didn't care. He just wanted that dog would shut up.

They continued their search checking alleyways and behind dumpsters where the Jellicles were known to hunt mice but still, there was no sign of them. The Mastiffs were getting annoyed, not to mention nervous. The Jellicle Junkyard was only a couple of blocks ahead of them and judging by how quiet it was, they could be waiting in ambush. A movement up ahead suddenly caught Oso's eye and he motioned for the group to stop. They ducked into the shadows of an alley as three cats, two toms and a queen, made their way toward them.

"Jellicles," the same Pollicle said, "Finally."

Rohl turned and smacked him on the head. "Shut up!"

"Remember, take them alive," Oso said quietly as the three neared them, "One of them could be the source."

Once the Jellicles were close enough, all six Pollicles quickly emerged from the alley, surprising the cats, and surrounded them. The white queen clung to one of the toms while the black tux seemed to ready himself for a fight. They were clearly afraid though; their gazes never left the two Mastiffs. Guess they'd never seen dogs like them before.

"Come quietly and you won't be harmed," Rohl said evenly. The tom holding the white queen spat at him.

"Very well," Rohl said, a growl mixing with his words, "Take them."

As one the Pollicle pack moved in trying to grab hold of the cats and the fight was on. Although they were outnumbered, the three still fought bravely. Plato slashed one Pollicle in the face then grabbed hold of another and bit him hard on the neck. The dog swatted him off but Plato quickly got up again. He was taken down a moment later when a dog clamped his jaws around his arm but Victoria clawed at its eyes forcing it to let go. Mistoffelees swatted and punched as hard as he could but the dogs were so close he couldn't get a chance to use his magic. Knowing that was their only chance to get out of this alive, he fought and wriggled his way through the tangle of legs and jaws until he was beside Plato and Victoria. The pack closed in again and Mistoffelees saw his opening; he flung out his paw and a bolt of lightning slammed into one dog sending it tumbling head over tail across the street where it slumped against the wall of a building.

Oso was shocked; he couldn't believe his and Rohl's luck. The source of the Jellicles' advantage was _here_. Wasting no time, he ordered, "Separate them! The black tux is the source! Get him!"

The pack immediately split in half; Oso, Rohl and one other Pollicle went after Mistoffelees while the other three kept Victoria and Plato away. Misto knew he couldn't handle three dogs by himself but he wasn't going to run and leave his friends behind. He struck out again with his lightning; this time aiming at one of the giant Mastiffs who ducked beneath it at the last second. The other Mastiff, though slightly smaller, quickly charged along with the other Pollicle and tackled Misto to the ground. They pinned his arms down and the larger dog drew back his paw and smacked the black tux hard. Misto felt the powerful impact and everything went dark.

"Fall back," Oso shouted as Rohl picked Mistoffelees up in his mouth, "We have what we came for!"

The other half of the pack quickly broke away from their fight with Victoria and Plato and hurried off, following the others into the night.

"Misto," Victoria cried in horror, "They took him!"

She tried to get up and go after the dogs but her body wouldn't allow it. Neither she nor Plato could do anything except watch the dogs vanish into the night with their prisoner. As the sound of their ticking claws faded away, Victoria broke down crying. This was all her fault; she shouldn't have been so impatient to go. Her humans could've waited for a while longer and now look what happened. Plato comforted her as best he could, knowing they had to get back to the junkyard and let Munkustrap know what happened. Plato cringed at the thought. _Munk's going to flip when he hears about this._


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Gaining the Advantage

After Victoria, Plato and Mistoffelees had left, Munkustrap had gone on patrol by himself. He needed to get away from everyone; clear his mind. All the complaints about Wisp he had to listen to today was wearing on his very last nerve. Yes, he understood Wisp was acting like Macavity; he knew the kittens were afraid of him he understood the adults did not like him being here in the first place. They only needed to tell him that once; they didn't need to repeat it over and over again. If they would just understand where he was coming from; Mistoffelees was powerful enough with his magic but if they had Wisp on their side as well, the Pollicles wouldn't be as big a threat as they seemed. He wasn't letting the Ghost Cat into the tribe, somehow he felt Wisp had no desire to be a Jellicle, he was just trying to gain an extra advantage over the Pollicles. Bast, why wouldn't they just trust him on this and stop complaining?

The solo patrol seemed to calm him down and by the time he got back to the clearing, he felt ready for a good nap. After telling Alonzo to keep an eye on things, he walked over to Deuteronomy's tire and stretched out comfortably. Being so worked up certainly wore him out and it wasn't long before he found himself falling into a deep sleep. However, it was not to be.

"Munk? You asleep?"

Jellylorum; what in the name of the Everlasting Cat did she want _now_?

"I _was_," Munk answered, making no attempt to hide his irritation at being disturbed, "What is it?"

"You really need to do something about Wisp," Jelly said, her tone apprehensive, "He's scaring the life out of the kittens. They don't feel safe playing outside with him laying up there watching them."

Munk groaned; he might've known. "Wisp has kept his word that he wouldn't harm anyone," he said, "I can't reprimand him if he hasn't done anything wrong."

"It's not what he _would _do," Jelly said, "It's what he _might _do."

"Fine," Munk said angrily as he rose to his feet, "You want me to talk to him, I'll talk to him. I just want everyone to stop this damn _complaining_."

Ignoring Jelly's next comment, Munk marched off toward the center of the clearing. Glancing up at the spot where Wisp usually was, he huffed angrily when he saw the silver cat was not there. _Great, just bloody great. Now I have to comb the entire junkyard to find him. _

Marching across the clearing, he noticed Jenny trying to coax Etcetera out from the tire pile. The hyper kitten did not want to go inside just yet and was frustrating the Gumbie Cat to no end. Not having the patience to listen to that, he stormed over to the pile.

"Etcetera," he half shouted, "Get your tail out of there now!"

The kitten slowly came out surprised at how angry Munk was and apparently thinking it was because of her. Tears started to well up in her eyes as she hurried off to Jenny's den. Jenny looked at the silver tabby in shock and started to say something but Munk cut her off, holding up his paw.

"Don't even start with me," he growled and turned to continue his search for Wisp. Just above him, on the junk pile, a voice huffed.

"The great Munkustrap taking his frustration out on a kitten," Wisp said as he released his invisibility, "How the mighty have fallen."

Munk turned toward the Ghost Cat and snarled, "Get down here. You and I have to talk." Wisp rose to his feet and jumped off the pile; standing face to face with the Protector.

"About?"

"Your attitude that's what," Munk snapped. Wisp simply tilted his head and smirked as if he knew that already. "What of it?"

"I am getting sick and tired of everyone complaining about you," Munk growled, "Laying up there like Macavity watching the kittens like you're trying to decide who to kill first. Nearly putting that rock through Pouncival's head and warning him you won't miss next time." He took a deep breath. "What in Heaviside is wrong with you? Swansea died two months ago Wisp. Let it go already."

In a flash, the smirk on Wisp's face vanished and his eyes brimmed with rage. He lifted his paw clearing wanting to either fry Munk or strangle him but restrained himself.

"You don't understand what its like," he snarled, his voice and body shaking, "To have the love of your life taken away from you and be powerless to stop it." He moved closer to Munkustrap who held his ground. "I am not…like…Macavity. I don't kill for the simple pleasure of it. I've changed is all. If something happened to Demeter, it would change you as well." He and the Protector glared at each other for a moment. "Word to the wise Munk; _don't test me._"

Things would've gotten worse between the two had Coricopat, who was stationed at the main gate, not called out that Plato was returning; alone. Breaking off from Wisp, Munk hurried to the gate as Plato nearly collapsed. Luckily, Skimbleshanks was nearby to catch him.

"What happened?" Munk asked as he came up to them. Plato was obviously hurt; bloody cuts were on his face and chest and his left arm had a nasty bite mark on it. "Where are Victoria and Misto?"

"Victoria's with her humans," Plato said, his voice laced with pain, "They found us after the attack."

"What attack?"

"Pollicles," Plato answered gritting his teeth, "Six of them. They attacked us…and they took Misto."

Beneath his silver fur, Munkustrap went pale. Things had just gone from bad to worse.

"One of them," Plato said, "Said Misto was…the source." He shook his head. "I don't know what he meant."

_The source._ Wisp thought that sounded familiar. He shut his eyes forcing his anger at Munkustrap away and concentrated on the night he had overheard Magnus's plan. It came into focus quickly and his eyes popped open. "The advantage,"

"What?" Skimble asked looking over at Wisp, "What are you talking about?"

Wisp came over to them. "Think about it," he said, "Misto is a conjuring cat. What's the one thing the Jellicles have always had that the Pollicles don't?"

The answer hit both of them like a ton of bricks; magic.

Misto's head hurt. He didn't remember much of what happened; he was going with Plato and Victoria, the Pollicles showed up and they started fighting then…blank. Slowly he forced his eyes to open and found he was lying on a cool concrete floor. His vision was a little blurry but it focused enough to show that he was in Macavity's old lair; in his throne room to be exact. What was he doing here? He took a deep breath and the scent that hit his nose immediately jolted him fully awake. Shapes that were blurred before now came into sharp focus and the smell was unmistakable; Pollicles. The two giant Mastiffs that had led the attack stood on either side of him; once they saw he was awake, they grabbed his arms and held him still. Misto struggled but the two dogs were far too strong.

"There's no need to be afraid my young friend," a voice said from the darkness in front of him, "We have no intention of harming you."

"Who are you?" Misto asked. A shape slowly emerged from the darkness and the tux's heart skipped a beat. This had to be the biggest dog he'd ever seen in his life; he was even bigger than the two Mastiffs. Grey shaggy fur covered his lean body and a pair of intelligent brown eyes stared at him; Misto instantly recognized him as an Irish Wolfhound.

"I am Magnus the Great," the Wolfhound said with a light smile, "I must say, it is an honor to finally meet the Magical Mr. Mistoffelees. I have heard so much about you."

"What do you want?" Misto asked, kicking himself for how timid his voice sounded.

"Your help of course," Magnus answered, "You see, you are the source of the Jellicles' advantage over us. We need you…or rather…your powers to help us to eliminate them."

"You're crazy," Misto snapped, "There's no way I would use my powers against my friends!"

The Mastiffs chuckled as did Magnus. "Ah, a fiery spirit," Magnus said, "A noble quality had it not come from such…an inferior creature."

"I am _not_ helping you!"

"Oh but you will," Magnus said leaning closer to Misto's face. He opened his eyes wide and stared deeply into the tux's. "You will help us Mistoffelees. Listen to my voice and focus on my eyes…You will help us to eliminate the Jellicles."

His voice had a soft, almost hypnotic tone to it. Misto found he couldn't tear his gaze away from Magnus's. Suddenly, he felt as if he was being pushed back yet his body wasn't moving. Further and further back, then pressed into a small, comfortable feeling box. He felt like he was in his bed but his mind suddenly clicked as to what was happening.

_No,_ he shouted though his mouth never moved, _I won't let you hypnotize me! I won't hurt my friends!_ But the hypnotizing spell Magnus was placing on him was incredibly strong; though he pushed against with all his might he couldn't break it.

Magnus stopped talking in that tone and asked, "Do you hear me?"

"Yes, I hear you," Misto heard his own voice say. _Damn you! Let me out of here!_

"Excellent," Magnus said smiling, "Tomorrow I will have a test for you. But for now, you must rest." The hypnotized tux bowed then turned and walked out with the two Mastiffs. Magnus lay down on his bed of blankets and smiled. His plan was working perfectly; he now had the Jellicles greatest advantage under his control. If tomorrow's test was a success, the invasion would soon follow.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Test

"Come on furball, wake up," a gruff voice rumbled.

Misto was roused from his sleep, if you could call it sleep; he'd been wandering through his memories all night searching for anything that might help him break Magnus's hypnosis. He looked through all the times he had seen cats hypnotized by Macavity hoping to find some clue that could help him now but in his desperate state, he found nothing. He groaned in frustration as he felt his eyes open, his body stretch tiredly and heard himself yawn before rising to his feet. The voice that had called him belonged to one of the Mastiffs; the smaller of two, Rohl. The dog turned and walked out of the room without another word and Misto's body automatically followed him. How humiliating; following a dog around like it was his master. It sickened him; if he could actually feel sick.

The hypnotized tux followed Rohl into Magnus's room where the Wolfhound was waiting patiently for him. He smiled as the two entered; Misto wishing for the hundredth time that he had control over his body again so he could wipe that smile off that bastard's face. Magnus motioned for him to sit which he did.

"Excuse us Rohl," Magnus said and the Mastiff bowed exiting the room. The Wolfhound looked at Mistoffelees like a big game hunter admiring one of his favorite trophies. Misto guessed that's what he was really to Magnus; nothing more than a trophy, a symbol of his so called greatness.

"Now my friend," Magnus said with an air of dignity, "The time has come for your test. Can you still hear me?"

"Yes," Misto's monotonous voice answered.

"Good. Now for your test," Magnus said a touch of glee adorning his face, "I want you to return to your Jellicle Junkyard; everyone there probably believes you're dead by now. Once you arrive, you will attack the first Jellicle you encounter; it doesn't matter whom or how, just remember this; do not kill them. This is simply, as the humans say, making a statement." He chuckled quietly; he was truly enjoying this. "Once you have done this, return here as quickly as possible before they discover what has happened to you. Do you understand?"

"I understand," Misto's voice answered, "And it will be done."

Magnus let out a small laugh. "Then off you go."

In the junkyard, the tribe was on edge now more than ever. The news of Misto's capture was bad enough but now that they knew what the Pollicles were planning to do with him made it even worse. Victoria had returned from her humans but had stayed away from the rest of the tribe still blaming herself for letting her close friend get captured. Plato's injuries were starting to heal although it would take a while for him to get the strength back in his arm; the Pollicles bite had bruised the bone and stretched a couple of ligaments in his elbow. But the biggest news spreading through the yard now was the confrontation between Wisp and Munkustrap that day; most of the tribe believed this whole mess was the Ghost Cat's fault in a way. No one however had the courage to say it to his face.

Wisp watched the activity in the yard from his new vantage point, a small ledge on a junk pile near the western fence. From here he could see almost everything; the clearing, the northern fence and the street outside the main gate. He frowned at the numerous harsh looks he got from the tribe; he knew some, if not all, were blaming him for what happened to Mistoffelees. The fact was however, the tribe needed him now more than ever. With the tux in the Pollicles paws, he was the only magical advantage they had left. Without him, they probably didn't stand a chance.

His frown deepened as he noticed Munkustrap going through the clearing on one of his patrols. Seeing the silver tabby brought back what he had said that day: _Swansea died two months ago Wisp. Let her go already._ Let her go? Is that what he thought this was about? He had let her go; he'd accepted the fact that she was gone a month ago. It was like he'd told Munk, he'd changed is all.

_He doesn't understand,_ Wisp thought angrily, _He thinks I'm still mourning her, that I'm only acting this way because I can't accept the fact she's gone._ A growl stirred in his throat as he watched the Protector disappear toward the eastern side of the yard. And Munk had the nerve to tell him he was acting like Macavity? Where had that come from? He was not like Macavity; he wasn't sadistic or insane. Sure he might be a little colder now and crueler than he used to be but so what? If they can't accept that this was the way he was now then he may as well just leave and let the Pollicles do what they wanted. He shook his head; no, he can't do that. Despite all of this, he knew deep down he had to stay.

"Are you sure Munk or someone won't catch us?" Jemima asked as she followed Etcetera out through the yard's secret exit.

"No," Etcetera said almost giggling with delight, "He's way over on the other side of the yard. We won't be too long."

The two queenkits hurried down the street heading for Etcetera's humans' house. The hyper kitten had wanted to go there to get something to try and make Victoria feel better but Munk wouldn't allow her to go unless she went with a group. She'd asked Tugger to go, surprisingly without fainting at the sight of him, and he'd said yes. The only problem, Tugger had conviently forgotten that he was supposed to help out with patrols today and Munk had caught them just before they reached the gate. So she'd gotten Jemima and they'd snuck out the secret exit.

Half an hour later, they rushed back along the sidewalk, Etcetera carrying a small bundle in her paws. It was actually a small catnip mouse she'd always played with when she was feeling down; the catnip smell had long since faded away but she still liked the soft feeling of the fake fur. She hoped that it would start to cheer Victoria up.

Taking a quick glance up at the junk piles to see if anyone was there, which no one was, she quickly darted through the pipe into the yard. Looking back however, she noticed Jemima was standing near the opening of the pipe but she was facing down the way they'd come.

"Jem, come on," she called quietly, "Get in here before Munk catches us."

Jemima didn't hear her friend; she was too surprised at the figure that was walking up the street toward her. Her heart leaped as she recognized Mistoffelees and, forgetting the fact that she was in danger of being caught sneaking out, called out her friend's name excitedly and rushed to meet him.

Mistoffelees had been walking at a casual pace through the city heading for the junkyard. His body had been anyway; he'd been searching his memories again for a clue to break Magnus's hold on him. There had to be something; wait, what's this? It was a memory of something he had heard about how humans hypnotize each other. A good way to do it was when the subject was asleep or at rest. Hm, made sense. When the subject is like that, their mental defenses go down and they're easier to control. Thinking about it, he remembered the previous night while he'd been hunting through his memories, he'd noticed the feeling of being in a box decreased a little. That was it! If he was out for long enough, say if he were knocked unconscious, he could probably break the spell.

"Misto!"

The tux's heart clenched as he broke away from his thoughts to find he was nearly at the junkyard. Worse, he recognized the voice as Jemima's and here she came hurrying toward him with a huge smile on her face.

_Oh no,_ he thought panic rising in him, _no, not her. Not Jemima._

His fear doubled when she got to him throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. He cringed as he felt his arms wrap around her as well.

"Oh Misto I'm so glad you're ok," Jemima cried, her voice nearly cracking, "We all thought you were dead." She released him for a moment looking at him, her eyes starting to fill with tears of joy. "How did you get away?"

"I have my ways," Misto heard himself answer, feeling a light smirk tug at the corner of his mouth.

_Jem, get away from me, _Misto cried inside his own head, _I don't want to hurt you. Please just get away!_ He felt a surge of hope as he saw the slight confusion flash across her face at his response. _Yes! You know something's wrong Jem. That isn't the way I talk! Get away!_ The hope vanished a moment later along with Jemima's confusion.

"Come on," she said happily taking his paw and leading him toward the pipe, "Everyone's going to be so happy you're back."

When they got to the pipe however, she noticed the other end of it had been sealed off; Munkustrap must've gone by and sealed it or he had caught Etcetera and was waiting for her to come in the main gate. Her heart thudded in her chest as she realized how much trouble she was going to be in but shook it off as another idea came to her. Pouncival had showed her an easy way to get in when the pipe was sealed; he had discovered a hole in the fence near to where they were; all you had to do was slip in through there, climb over the junk pile and you're in. The piles weren't that hard to climb anyway; you just had to be careful for any loose stuff.

"Over here," she said leading the hypnotized tux a little way to the right, "Pounce showed me this a couple days ago." Sure enough the hole was there and they both slipped inside. Finding footholds on the piles of junk, they began to climb. It was fairly easy; there weren't many loose things and they quickly reached the top. Looking around, Jemima breathed a sigh of relief as she saw there was no one nearby. She knew she was going to get it from Munk when he found her but right then she didn't care. She started to cross the pile to climb down on the other side when she realized Misto wasn't following.

"Misto are you coming?" she asked, a light smile playing on her face.

Misto's body moved forward just enough that he could see the clearing below then stopped. He knew what was coming and threw all his might against the spell trying desperately to stop it.

_Jemima run, _he screamed, _Run! I can't stop myself!_

Bast, why wasn't she moving?! He felt his power building up as Jemima took a step toward him. _Oh Bast no! No, don't make me do this! Don't make me do this!_

His paw raised a moment later and a bolt of lightning shot out striking Jemima full in the chest. The force of the blast knocked her back over the edge of the pile and Misto screamed in agony and despair as he was forced to watch her body tumble limply through the air and land with a dull thud in the clearing.

"Jemima!"

Munkustrap's voice; seconds later the silver tabby appeared racing toward his fallen daughter other cats, including Wisp, appearing from other directions. He knelt beside her gently lifting her head, calling her name and staring in disbelief at the burn marks on her chest. From the top of the pile Misto, trapped inside his own head, moaned his agony; she was still alive, thank Bast, but barely. Magnus had said not to kill her just make a statement. And he had. Munkustap looked up a moment later and locked eyes with him. Misto felt himself smile at the Protector before the scene vanished in a flash of light and he was standing, once again, before Magnus the Great.

"It is done," he heard himself say and Magnus gave him a satisfied smile.

"Well done my friend," he said gallantly, "Well done. You may go and rest now. I have no further need for you."

Misto bowed and left the room. He walked past the dogs still gathered at the lair, ignoring their growls and vicious glances and made his way to his own room. It was a small storage room that Macavity had kept his prisoners in. It was fitting in a way. He lay down on a thin layer of newspapers and his eyes closed. As they did, a single tear slowly slipped down his cheek.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Invasion

Magnus was well pleased with how his test had gone; the time now for the invasion was at hand. The Jellicle tribe was easily outnumbered by the Pollicles and now with Mistoffelees at their side, they couldn't fail. He knew in his heart that this would be the end of the Jellicles and he smiled at that thought. His name would be known for generations of dogs; looked on with reverence, even treated as a god in a way.

_Mustn't get carried away old boy,_ he reminded himself, _you still have to accomplish that task. Overconfidence has led to the downfall of many good dogs._

So true. Well, he mustn't keep the troops waiting. He walked out of the room and was soon joined by Oso, Rohl and Mistoffelees who accompanied him to the stack of crates which allowed him to see his army. Feeling his chest puff out with pride at the sight of them all, he took a deep breath.

"My friends, our time is at hand," he said loudly as the dogs all turned to face him, "The test has proven to be a success and we now move on with the invasion of the junkyard."

There were a few cheers but there was grumbling mixed in with it. Magnus frowned slightly; this wasn't right. They were all supposed to be cheering like they had when he first told them of his grand plan and now they were _grumbling_? What was wrong with them?

"What the hell do we need that cat for?" a Pollicle demanded gesturing at the motionless tux, "We got enough numbers here to beat them ourselves." Others shared his sentiments. Magnus fixed the dog with a hard stare.

"Mistoffelees is our ultimate weapon," Magnus said not liking the dog's tone, "He is the Jellicles' advantage that I spoke of. The key to our success lies with him."

"Didn't you hear what he just said?" another dog piped up, "We don't need him. We can beat them without his magic."

Magnus did not like this. He was in control of this army; he was their commander, their general, their _superior_. How dare this mutt talk to his superior in that tone!

"Do not forget," Magnus said, his voice growing low and icy, "They have the Demon Cat on their side as well. We will need someone to deal with him."

That was a mistake. The mention of the Demon Cat sent a wave of apprehension through the gathered dogs. None of them, not even Magnus himself, particularly wanted to face the silver tomcat but they all wanted to be rid of the Jellicles. At least that's what the Wolfhound was hoping.

"And how would that tux beat the Demon Cat?" the first Pollicle asked, "He's at least three times as strong."

"He will deal with him I assure you," Magnus said growing irritated.

"You're out of your mind," the Pollicle said, "The Demon Cat could wipe us out by himself if he really wanted to." He looked around at the other dogs. "I say to hell with this. I value my neck enough to put up with those damn Jellicles." He pointed at Magnus who was growing angrier by the minute. "This idiot is going to get us killed. I'm outta here. If anyone else here wants to live, you'll get out too."

He turned and made his way through the crowd of dogs toward the door. For a moment, no one moved but at last with a bit of murmuring, a large group of dogs turned their backs on Magnus and walked out. Standing on the crates, Magnus seethed with anger. Damn those foolish mutts! Damn them all to hell! Didn't they realize he was leading them to glory? That he was going to rid them of their oldest and greatest enemies? He felt his body trembling as the remainder of the dogs turned back to their leader. He had only half of his army left; at least they were still loyal to him. They were still numerous enough to overwhelm the Jellicles and they still had Mistoffelees. Let those fools go; they would regret their decision to turn their backs on him.

"I'm glad you still have the sense to stay with me," he said to the remaining dogs, "And I promise you, we will have our victory. Move out, all of you! The invasion begins!"

Munkustrap and Demeter had not left Jemima's bedside since Munk had brought his daughter to Jenny's den. The Gumbie Cat had immediately called Jellylorum to come and help her and they'd worked frantically for half an hour to clean and dress the horrid burns on the kitten's chest as well as prevent her from going into shock. Jemima had come around a couple of minutes after her wounds had been treated; the cries of pain that had come out of the kitten tore her parents' hearts out. Jelly gave her some catnip for the pain which had quieted her down but tears still ran down her face as she whimpered with fear that she was going to die. Demeter, with tears in her eyes as well, sat next to her along with her mate holding her paw and reassuring her that she was going to be fine. Munk gave her a soft nuzzle to calm her down so she could rest. Jenny gave her a small cup with some medicine in it, telling her it would help her to sleep and once she drank it, she finally dozed off.

Munk rose from the bed and headed outside. He needed to clear his mind if that was possible. What had the Pollicles done to Misto? Had he been brainwashed or had he changed sides on his own? No, he couldn't think like that. Misto was his friend; he'd never turn on them. This Magnus the Great must've done _something_ to him.

As he stepped out the door of Jenny's den, he noticed Wisp sitting nearby watching Jemima through the doorway intently. His gaze shifted to Munk momentarily then went back to the injured kitten.

"Now you understand," Wisp said quietly.

"Understand what?" Munk demanded. He wasn't in the mood for Wisp's riddles.

Wisp's gaze shifted to him again. "You wondered why I act the way I do. You didn't understand the change I went through. Now you do." He gazed at Jemima once more and Munk stalked off muttering to himself.

Something was definitely wrong. When Wisp had first sensed Misto's magic, it had come off him in waves; like the current of the Thames; powerful but gentle. Now though, it was erratic; the river had been dammed and it was trying to force its way out. Why? What was making it act like that?

His train of thought was shattered a moment later by a loud howl then the air was filled with angry barking. Looking toward the main gate, he saw a large group of Pollicles charging at full speed toward the junkyard. Munkustrap saw them as well and began shouting orders; nearly all of the tribe came out to meet the charge as the dogs crashed headlong into them. There were simply too many for the tribe to completely stop and a few slipped past. Wisp rose to his feet moving to intercept the dogs when out of the corner of his eye he noticed the kittens were still outside. They had been playing near the other end of the yard and they were too far away to get back to Jenny's den in time.

A group of five dogs burst past the tribe and into the junkyard looking to wreak havoc. They immediately spied the group of kittens near the far end and closed in on them. Pouncival and Tumblebrutus started to move out to stop the dogs when they were suddenly thrown back toward their friends by what felt like a pair of invisible paws and a second later, a bolt of lightning slammed into the nearest dog. He tumbled away as the Ghost Cat skidded to a halt in front of the kittens.

"Stay behind me and go when I tell you," Wisp ordered and the kittens fearfully nodded. The four dogs left came at him and Wisp once again threw a lightning bolt at them. The bolt shot between two dogs then with a loud crack, the bolt _split _taking out both. More dogs had gotten past the Jellicles now and Wisp soon found himself facing six dogs now instead of two. Focusing his mind, the Ghost Cat loosed a powerful mental shove knocking two dogs away but as soon as he did, he was tackled by the rest of them.

Etcetera screamed as Wisp was taken down; Victoria grabbed Pounce's scruff to keep him back just as two Pollicles moved in on them. The white queen moved to protect the kittens but one dog took her down. The second dog smiled viciously at the terrified kittens when suddenly, the metal beam used in Skimbleshanks' song wrenched itself loose and flung itself at the dog knocking him away. At the same time, it slammed into the dogs attacking Wisp taking them out as well; the whole lot crashing to the ground a few feet away. Getting up Wisp looked around desperately and silently thanked the Everlasting Cat when he saw the way to Jenny's den was clear.

"Go," he shouted. The kittens hurried toward the den and Wisp trotted along with them keeping an eye out for any trouble. The ticking of claws made him look behind them; the Pollicle that had attacked Victoria had finished with her and was coming after them. Wisp couldn't risk using his lightning; his arm was injured from a dog bite so he had to improvise. Seconds later, the dog was knocked out by a flying piece of metal.

The kittens all hurried into the den making Wisp relax slightly. He may be cold and cruel but he would not stand by and let a dog kill innocent kittens. Now that they were safe he could focus on helping the tribe survive this fight.

At the main gates, Magnus, his bodyguards and Mistoffelees watched the battle and the Wolfhound felt excitement bubbling inside him. Even with only half his army the Jellicle tribe was still being overwhelmed. It was only a matter of time until…his excitement faltered when he saw the flashes. His throat momentarily went dry; the Demon Cat was loose. The flashes were coupled with yelps of pain and he could see they were getting closer. _Time to bring my new weapon into play_, Magnus thought then, with Oso and Rohl leading the way, he entered the junkyard.

There were dogs and cats fighting all around him but none of them so far had noticed the four of them come in. Oso and Rohl did their jobs; knocking Jellicles and Pollicles alike away from their leader and the hypnotized tux until they came to a small break in the action. Magnus looked around; there were so many bodies moving and shifting it was hard for him to find the one he sought. He carefully began to move forward again when across from him, two dogs were thrown through the air by nothing it would seem. A figure stepped forward and Magnus found himself standing directly across from the Demon Cat.

"Oh, it's you," Wisp growled as he stared at the Wolfhound, "Finally summoned up the courage to get your paws dirty?"

Magnus clenched his jaw slightly as the silver furred demon smirked at him. _You won't be smirking for long_, Magnus thought gleefully. He gestured next to him and Mistoffelees moved out in front of the Mastiffs. Inside his head, Misto felt the nervousness growing inside his body. He just had to pray that Wisp would only knock him out instead of killing him outright.

Wisp felt Misto's magic flowing over him; that same erratic wave and studied the tux closely. He looked at his eyes; if it was hypnosis, his eyes would be clouded but they were clear. Half veiled though and his expression was blank. Also he moved like he was puppet on a string. Wisp's eyes widened; it was hypnosis!

"Mistoffelees, if you will," Magnus's smooth voice said.

"Sorry Misto," Wisp said quietly as he built up his own power in response to the tux, "But this is going to hurt."

Misto thrust out his paw and hurled a bolt of lightning at Wisp who simply stood still and caught the blast with his mind so it circled him for a moment then flung it back at the tux. Misto cursed when his body leaped out of the way; he figured it'd have to be distracted first. As soon as the bolt passed him however, the two Mastiffs attacked; overpowering the Ghost Cat quickly. Misto watched as Wisp's body disappeared beneath the two massive dogs for a moment but after a couple of heartbeats, their bodies rippled with lightning and they were tossed back. He realized the silver tom had the ability to channel his lightning through his body. A helpful thing when you couldn't use your arms. Wisp was hurt though; his left arm had a nasty looking bite on it not to mention the cuts on his chest, forehead and arms. The silver cat was slowly rising to his feet.

"Behind him," Magnus commanded, "The junk pile!"

A tall junk pile loomed behind the Ghost Cat and Misto felt himself focus his mind on it. While he was nowhere near the level of mind control that Wisp was, Misto could still move things when he needed to and now he saw the pile starting to topple. Wisp hadn't noticed; he was on his feet shaking his head to clear it. Misto wanted to shout out a warning but he knew it was already too late. He watched in absolute horror as the pile came crashing down; Wisp had enough time to glance behind him, crouch down and cover his head with his arms before the entire pile collapsed and buried him alive.

The resulting crash got nearly everyone's attention for a moment but the battle quickly resumed. The Jellicles couldn't keep up with the number of dogs; Coricopat was too injured to fight which left Tantomile, also injured herself, to defend the two of them as was the case with Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer. Mungojerrie at least had managed to pull his sister back from the fight before a dog got in a lucky hit knocking him unconscious. Victoria had also pulled herself away, her left back leg was broken which had sent Plato into a frenzy; he rushed headlong into a crowd of dogs punching, clawing and biting with everything he had. His brave assault hadn't lasted long and the dogs had severely beaten him and tossed his limp form aside like a sack of garbage.

With the Ghost Cat out of the way, Magnus resumed his search finally spying the one he wanted; Munkustrap. The silver tabby along with Demeter and Bombalurina were fighting off the Pollicles efficiently but at a slight nod from Magnus, the two Mastiffs, recovered from their encounter with Wisp, joined in. Bombalurina was their first target; Oso tackled her forcing her to bang her head on the ground stunning her. Demeter quickly tried to help her friend but she was cut off by Rohl. She swatted at his face and forced a yelp from the big dog. He retaliated by landing his own swipe across her face which knocked her down. In a flash Munkustrap was on Rohl beating the Mastiff with everything he had. Rohl had underestimated how strong the Protector was and soon Oso had to come to help his friend. Munk turned his fury on him as well.

_Incredible,_ Magnus thought as he watched. Munkustrap was a whirlwind of motion; pounding down on Rohl then spinning to punch Oso in the face before ducking beneath a return blow from Rohl to attack him again. Magnus moved closer and suddenly, the whirlwind that was Munk came at him. The silver tabby caught the Wolfhound with a strong right which made the Pollicle leader stumble. Munk attacked him again swiping his claws across Magnus's chest; the Pollicle grunted in pain then struck back, catching Munk in the stomach then after he'd doubled over, kicked him squarely in the face sending him sprawling.

"Force the rest into the center of the clearing," Magnus ordered as Oso and Rohl attacked the dazed Munkustrap and beat him down. A few minutes later, the battle was over; the Jellicles were pinned in the middle of the clearing and the Pollicles controlled the yard.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: All You Have to Do Is Surrender

When the dogs cheering finally quieted, Magnus ordered them to round up the rest of the Jellicles and put them in the largest den in the junkyard. A group of five stayed with the beaten cats while the others spread out, picking up the injured Jellicles and putting them with the rest. Two Pollicles disappeared into Jenny's den and after a moment, she, Jellylorum and the kittens were hustled outside, Jenny carrying Jemima in her arms. Once the cats were all together, another dog hurried to the largest den and went inside; they could hear him rummaging around trying to make it a bit bigger so it would hold everyone. He came out a few minutes later and nodded that it was ready. The tribe was forced inside except for Munkustrap who was taken to another den that Magnus had claimed would be his own. Two Pollicles stood on either side of the doorway as guards.

For the rest of the day, the Jellicles sat listening to the dogs celebrating; barking, laughing and howling loudly then watched as they caught glimpses of them choosing dens for themselves. They grimaced at the thought of the dogs in their dens; they would never get the smell out. But the main thing on everyone's mind right then was Misto's betrayal.

"How in Bast's name could he do this to us?" Plato demanded as he held Victoria tightly while Jenny set her broken leg. The white queen cried out in pain but Jenny was able to fashion a splint from a couple pieces of wood she had found lying around; the dog must've broken something when he was widening the den. She wrapped it up with a couple of strips of cloth from the blankets on the bed. Finding some catnip, she gave it to her to ease the pain.

"I don't know," Jenny said quietly.

"I knew that idiot couldn't be trusted," Plato said bitterly.

"Yeah, you're only saying that cause you know he has a thing for Victoria," Tugger snapped.

"Like you do for any queen you see?" Plato retorted.

"I can't figure out why Misto would want to join a bunch of dogs," Bombalurina said before Tugger could form a remark, "If he was going to turn on us, you'd think he'd join another tribe of cats."

"Who cares why," Plato snarled wincing slightly as the lump on his head ached, "The fact is he's a damn traitor and you know it!"

"Don't talk to her like that," Tugger warned getting to his feet. Plato laid Victoria down and got in the Maine Coon's face though he was still a bit wobbly from being knocked out.

"Mistoffelees was not in control of himself," Coricopat blurted out stopping any further hostility between the two. The tribe turned to the mystic twins, waiting while Cori took a steadying breath obviously fighting through the pain of his injuries.

"We noticed during the fight that Misto's magic was not…" he clenched his jaw, the pain of his injuries overcoming him again. Tantomile put her paw on her twin's side calming him down.

"…was not in sync," she finished for him.

"Not in sync?" Alonzo asked, "What does that mean?"

"Magnus is controlling his body like a puppet," Tantomile said, "And Misto's conscience is trapped inside his own head."

"He's been hypnotized?" Bombalurina asked, "I thought dogs didn't have any magic."

"They don't," Tantomile said, "Magnus must've forced a magical cat to teach him how to hypnotize someone."

The tribe fell silent then; the sounds of the celebration had quieted outside and they didn't want to risk the guards outside the doorway hearing them. Demeter sat staring out the door at the den across from the one they were in; that was where she had watched those Mastiffs drag Munkustrap with Magnus leading the way. She bit her lip nervously; what in Heaviside where they doing to him in there? A few minutes later, the Mastiffs dragged her mate outside again throwing him to the ground. Magnus came out a moment later and he did not look pleased. At a nod from the Wolfhound, the larger of the two Mastiffs brutally kicked Munk in the stomach as he tried to get to his feet ripping a cry of pain from him. Then the smaller of the two picked him up and punched the silver tabby in the face sending him crashing to the ground at Magnus's feet.

"All this could've been avoided Munkustrap," Magnus said as Munk tried again to get up, "This doesn't have to happen. All you have to do is surrender to us and the pain will stop. Who knows? I might even have a change of heart and allow you to live the rest of your life in peace."

Munkustrap lifted his head glaring at the Wolfhound and spat on him. No sooner had he done so then both of the Mastiffs attacked him and Munk's cries of pain rang through the yard. Demeter was horrified. She got to her feet and made a bolt for the doorway; she had to help him but Bombalurina caught her before she could get outside.

"Let go of me," Demeter yelled tears running down her face as she struggled against her friend, "I have to help him! They'll kill him!"

"Deme, there's nothing you can do," Bomba said keeping her voice calm though she was getting choked up as well, "You'd be dead before you got near them."

Demeter struggled a bit more then gave up, collapsing to her knees as the Mastiffs finally stopped their brutal attack. Munkustrap lay unmoving on the ground but she could still see the rise and fall of his back. One of the guards peered in and smirked at her as Bomba turned her friend away from the awful sight and hugged her tightly, Demeter's entire body shuddering with sobs. Bomba hissed defiantly at the dog as he turned away laughing and Munkustrap was hauled to his feet. His ear twitched; he could hear Demeter sobbing but he soon fell limp as the Mastiffs dragged him back inside Magnus's den.

Two hours later the tribe heard the sound of paws padding toward the den and Mistoffelees appeared in the doorway. The two guards turned to flank him as he entered. He looked at the angry glares he was getting from the tribe and inside it was killing him. _I don't blame you guys for hating me. If we get out of this alive, I'm leaving. I can't forgive myself for this and I don't expect you guys to either. _

"Bring her," he heard his voice say as his gaze fell on Demeter. The black and gold queen looked like she wanted to kill him, her eyes red from crying but burning with hatred. The dogs came forward, grabbing her and when Bombalurina tried to stop them they just shoved her away. Tugger growled and tried to go after them but he was too injured to do much and one dog easily knocked him back down. Misto turned and headed out the doorway with the dogs behind him. They walked across to Magnus's den and waited for the Wolfhound to come out. When he did, he smiled at Demeter; a smile that made her shudder and told the two dogs to let her go.

"Your mate is stronger than I expected," he said making it sound like a compliment though she knew he was just taunting her, "He must care for this tribe a great deal."

Demeter said nothing. "It's too bad that his stubbornness overrides his common sense," the Wolfhound continued shaking his head, "If he would just surrender, I'm willing to allow him, you and your daughter to live."

"He won't," Demeter snapped, "And neither will we."

"Such a shame," Magnus said mocking sympathy, "But I suppose I cannot expect anything less from inferiors." With a wave of his paw, the dogs grabbed her again and took her back to the den.

"Such a shame," Magnus said again then turned to Mistoffelees, "The executions will begin tomorrow night…and…you shall be my executioner." With another wave of his paw he dismissed the hypnotized tux who turned and headed off to his pipe his mind screaming in horror at what he was going to be forced to do the following night. He couldn't kill his friends, he _couldn't_! He had to break this spell somehow; despite his solemn vow to leave the yard forever if they all survived this, he would not let Magnus force him to kill his friends. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the collapsed pile where Wisp was buried and prayed to the Everlasting Cat that the silver tom had managed to protect himself.

Later that night, the two Pollicles that were guarding the Jellicle prisoners were relieved by two fresh guards and they went out on patrol. Magnus had said that even though the Jellicles were captured, they were crafty enough to be able to slip out without anyone seeing or hearing them. There had to be at least two dogs patrolling the yard at all times in case one of them escaped. The two had split up; one heading off to the north end and working his way around to the east, the other went south and ended up at the west. Once there they crossed the center of the yard and reversed their directions.

"I think I'm going to like this place," one dog said as he met up with the other in the center of the yard.

"Yeah," the other agreed, "It's a little cramped in some of those dens but we can always fix them."

Just then they heard a _clink_. Turning quickly they looked toward the collapsed pile.

"What was that?" the first dog asked.

"Dunno," answered the second. They cautiously made their way over to the pile being as quiet as they could in case a Jellicle had gotten loose. They walked around the pile and sniffed the surrounding area but there was nothing.

"Must've been something falling off," the first dog said, "I don't see anything."

"Yeah," the second dog said then he suddenly let out a slight yelp as his foot gave way beneath him. He got up quickly and noticed it was a loose tin can that he had tripped over.

"Here's the problem," he said, "This must've come off. I just tripped over it."

He tossed the can back on top of the pile then the two headed off back on their patrol. Neither of the dogs had thought to look closer at the pile itself; if they had they've would've seen the silver paw that slowly slid back inside.

That was a little better; get some more air in here. Wisp's entire body was aching from his fights with the dogs but at least he was getting better. In all the time he'd had his powers, he'd never thought about trying to heal himself. In truth, he didn't know how to start. Was he supposed to just touch a wound and it would instantly heal or what? He'd tried that earlier on but found it didn't work. He then tried focusing the thought of his body healing in his mind and was surprised to find the pain of his injuries fading a bit. He kept concentrating on the thought and slowly, the pain was stopping. All that he needed was to get a bit more air; the small makeshift den he'd created when the pile collapsed was just big enough for him to lie on his side. Knocking out that tin can above his head had taken care of the air problem but he froze when he'd heard the Pollicles outside looking around. Thankfully they hadn't seen him and he'd been able to relax slightly. _Almost,_ he thought as he felt the pain receding even more, _almost there._


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Back From the Dead

All through the night, Misto tried over and over again to break through Magnus's hypnosis and though he felt the spell give a little each time, he knew he was still a long way from breaking it.

_Have to keep trying,_ he told himself, _I can't kill my friends. I won't kill them!_

He pushed against the sides of the box he felt himself trapped in; once again the box seemed to grow a bit larger but it acted as if it was made of rubber. Misto could force a side out and start to feel a little part of his body move but it would always snap back into place a second later. The one rule about rubber though; the more you stretch it, the weaker it becomes and eventually it will break. The tux wished it would break soon; he wouldn't be able to stand watching his friends die by his paws.

Demeter had not slept at all that night; she simply sat and stared out at Magnus's den, still terrified about what was happening to Munkustrap. The Mastiffs had beaten him pretty badly yesterday and though Magnus had said that he was a lot stronger than he thought, even Munk had his limits. Her only other fear was what she had said to the Wolfhound; that Munk would never surrender to him and neither would they. She had begun to wonder if that had been smart; Magnus or any one of those dogs could just kill Munk now and be done with it. A gnawing wave of fear washed over her at that thought and she trembled slightly, eager to just rush over to Magnus's den and take her beloved out of there. Only she knew she wouldn't get far and Munk would never forgive himself if something happened to her. Absently, she brushed a tear from her eye; all she or the tribe could do was wait.

The dogs were up early in the morning anxious for the executions to begin. Some of them still couldn't believe that Magnus's plan had actually worked and that this was really happening. Finally, after all the failed attempts, the Jellicle tribe was about to be wiped out for good. Some of the dogs had even started considering what to call their new home; it would soon no longer be the Jellicle junkyard and most of them wanted to call it simply The Yard. Others thought that was completely ridiculous but there would be plenty of time to name their new home once the cats were gone so they didn't give it much thought.

Oso and Rohl padded across the clearing toward the den in order to get the cats ready for tonight. They had to be sure that none of them had died overnight as Magnus wanted them all alive. Ducking slightly beneath the doorway, Oso walked inside with Rohl close behind him. The cats either gave them nasty glares, hisses or spat at them all of which the Mastiffs took as a grain of salt. Let them do what they want; they were all going to be dead that night anyway. Then there was going to be a feast; the kittens would make fine appetizers and though the cats were lean, they would still taste good. Rohl glanced down at the black and gold queen that sat near the door; she was that silver tabby's mate if he remembered right. She looked up at him, her eyes still a bit red from crying.

"I want to see him," she said quietly.

"What?" Rohl demanded, "Speak up cat!"

"I want to see him!"

Rohl glanced at Oso who just nodded. "Go ahead and let her see him," the other Mastiff said with a nasty smile, "Let them have their last goodbye."

"Bastards," Pouncival hissed under his breath. Oso heard him and got right down into the kitten's face.

"What did you say kitten?"

Pouncival paled and said nothing. Jenny grabbed the kitten and held him close. "Leave him alone," she snapped. The Mastiff glared at the Gumbie Cat then looked back at Pouncival. He'd just chosen his first appetizer for tonight.

Rohl meanwhile had picked up Demeter in his mouth and carried her over to Magnus's den. She expected that he would drop her outside and wait for Magnus to allow her mate to be brought out. Instead he carried her inside without stopping and dropped her in front of the Pollicle leader. The den hadn't been modified that much; it was a bit larger than it had been but the Pollice had kept the inside of it as neat as she and Munkustrap had. The Wolfhound glanced at her.

"Demeter. What brings you here this morning?"

"I want to see Munkustrap," Demeter said, trying to keep the quiver out of her voice, "I need to see he's alright."

Magnus smiled. "Ah the power of love," he said, "Very well. He's over there."

The Wolfhound nodded toward a darkened corner of the den. Demeter followed his gaze and stifled a gasp as she saw the silver tabby lying on the floor in a crumpled heap. Ignoring the chuckles from the two dogs, she hurried over to him. As soon as she touched him Munk flinched, grunting in pain and tried to move away.

"Munk no," Demeter said softly, "It's me."

Slowly Munkustrap turned his head toward the sound of her voice then rolled over onto his back. Her heart ached at the sight of him; his face was bloody, his left eye was swollen nearly shut and now that she could see him a little better, she saw there were bruises, cuts and dried blood all over his body.

"Deme," Munk whispered, his voice half slurred from pain, "Is that you?" He focused his good eye as best he could on her face then slowly reached up to touch her cheek with his paw. She closed her eyes leaning her head slightly into his touch then opened them again blinking tears back and held his paw in hers.

"Deme, I'm sorry," Munk whispered shaking his head slowly, "I failed. I failed all of you."

"Its ok," Demeter said touching Munk's face though he grimaced slightly, "We'll get out of this; I know we will." Again the dogs snickered behind them.

"Is everyone alright?"

She paused. "Yes," she said finally not liking having to lie but she couldn't allow him to carry that burden as well, "Jemima is doing a lot better too."

That seemed to calm him down a little so she leaned in closer and whispered in his ear. "Misto is being hypnotized by Magnus. That's why he attacked us." A slight frown appeared on his beaten face then he seemed to relax a bit as if he knew the tux wouldn't openly betray them.

"Ok lovebirds," Rohl said stepping up behind Demeter, "Time's up."

Demeter gave Munk a light kiss on the forehead, told him she loved him and allowed the Mastiff to take her back.

At last the time arrived. The sun was starting to set and Magnus ordered all the Jellicles to be brought to the center of the clearing. Oso and Rohl dragged Munkustrap out behind their leader into the cool evening air. Magnus watched as the cats were herded out, his chest swelling with pride. It was time for him to make history. Glancing around he didn't see Mistoffelees anywhere which seemed a bit strange. Normally the tux came when he heard his master's voice. A minute later he noticed the tux getting around some of the dogs as they were climbing up onto the junk piles in case some the cats tried to escape. Not that they could however but you couldn't take any chances with them. He smiled as his puppet at last joined him.

Munkustrap gave a light groan and the Wolfhound turned to him. "I'm giving one final opportunity Munkustrap," he said, "One last chance to formally surrender to me. If you do, you, Demeter and your daughter will live out the rest of your lives in peace. We will find you a place to live and never bother you again."

Munk looked up at the Wolfhound for a moment then felt a surge of energy pass though him. He wrenched his arms free and lunged at Magnus belting him squarely in the jaw with all his strength. The Wolfhound stumbled back then toppled over. The Jellicles let out a cheer but it was quickly silenced by the surrounding dogs and the Mastiffs grabbed the silver tabby, beating him down again. Magnus got up, his face lined with anger. How dare that cat strike him? How _dare he?_

"Very well," he said his voice icy, "Then you shall have the privilege of watching your tribe die before you." He turned to the assembled tribe. "Bring Demeter and the kitten."

Munk's eyes widened and he struggled weakly against the Mastiffs as he watched two dogs grab Demeter and Jemima, bringing them up in front of the Wolfhound. He grinned nastily as Munk struggled then nodded to Mistoffelees who slowly turned toward the two. In his head, Misto was having some success; during the night he had managed to take control of his body for a split second actually feeling the coolness of the ground he was lying on and felt his left arm twitch in his sleep. He continued working during the day as well; now when he came to the executions, his movements were stiff and slow. The spell however was still quite strong and he once again felt his power building up.

_Not again,_ he cried, _I won't let you make me do this again!_

He pushed against the spell as hard as he could; his right arm began to shake a bit and it rose much slower. Through his eyes, he could see a look of confusion forming on Magnus's face and felt a surge of hope. Then suddenly, the spell became much stronger, forcing Misto's conscience back into the box. The tux fought against it but it was too strong now; he couldn't possibly hold it as he saw his paw rise now with sparks dancing around it.

A loud bang distracted everyone; it sounded like something had hit the outer wall of the junkyard. The dogs on top of the piles looked down at the street below but saw nothing. Where had the bang come from? A second bang sounded and this time Coricopat and Tantomile's eyes widened slightly and both lightly smiled. They had seen the collapsed pile shake a little on the second bang and realized what was happening. The junkyard went quiet then; all the dogs were a bit on edge after that but Magnus called out for everyone to remain focused then told Mistoffelees to get on with it. Once more the tux's paw sparked and it started to rise toward Demeter and Jemima when an explosion shook the entire yard.

The collapsed junk pile on the right side of the tribe suddenly exploded outward throwing pieces of junk everywhere and tossing a couple of dogs clear across the yard. Everyone focused on the spot and Demeter felt a smile creeping across her face when she saw the look of surprise on the Wolfhound's face. That surprise soon turned into a look of fear and when she looked over at the pile she saw why. Rising out of the pile like demon from the depths of Hell was the Ghost Cat. He climbed out of his makeshift tomb and onto the ground as the dogs backed away in fear. Lightning crackled vigorously around his paws and forearms and he thrust both paws out to the sides sending bolts of lightning hurtling toward the junk piles.

Everyone expected the piles to be blasted apart but the when the lightning struck them, it _crawled_ across the surface of the piles, spreading out like glowing spider webs. Magnus stood transfixed as he watched the lightning encircle the entire clearing then was jolted back into reality as the dogs on top of the piles screeched in pain and fell off, tumbling down the other side and onto the street. The crackling web like beams continued to circle the clearing finally coming together above Deuteronomy's tire then whole display exploded with a resounding thunderclap that shook the junkyard again. As the rumble of the thunder died away, the Ghost Cat flicked out his paw again sending a smaller lightning bolt at Mistoffelees. It struck him squarely in the head sending him flying backward where he crashed to the ground out cold. Wisp then turned his gaze on Magnus the Great and felt himself smile at the look of fear on the dog's face.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The Fall of Magnus the Great

A haze filled Misto's mind; the last things he remembered were trying to force his arm down to stop himself from killing Demeter and Jemima, an explosion, a clap of thunder then…darkness. His eyes were still closed and he felt as if he were floating; a peaceful, serene feeling. There were sounds around him but he couldn't figure out exactly what they were. It sounded like voices; yelling, barking, cries of pain and what sounded like electricity or something in the background. Right now all he wanted to do was stay in the darkness; it was so much more peaceful here; except for a slight chill underneath him and whatever that hard thing was against his head. Unfortunately, a dull ache was starting in his back and slowly creeping through his entire body which was also making the voices louder.

As the noise continued to grow, the haze finally started to disappear and the pain began to grow quickly. _Wait a second,_ Misto thought, _the box...it's gone. I don't feel trapped anymore!_ Testing his theory he tried to move his arm and felt like shouting for joy when it responded albeit a bit stiffly. Stiff or not it didn't matter; Magnus's hypnosis was broken; he had total control of his body again! A sense of vindication ran through him as the noise became louder still and he felt his eyes finally open.

He was lying on his back a few feet behind Demeter, Jemima and Munkustrap; the latter were both hurt badly and Misto felt a twinge of regret when he saw Jemima. The rest of the tribe was fighting with the dogs again; there weren't as many now and they seemed to be lost and disorganized. The tribe was winning. Slowly he looked around and found Magnus standing near the entrance to Munk and Demeter's den alone. He slowly picked himself up and saw Demeter's head turn toward him, a look of apprehension on her face. She didn't realize he had control again. He locked eyes with her and felt his characteristic smile come to his face. He saw the relief in her eyes as she recognized it then he focused back on the Pollicle leader. _Time for a little payback_.

_This can't be happening,_ Magnus thought desperately as he watched Wisp take out one dog after another, _Mistoffelees buried him alive! He couldn't possibly survive!_ The rest of his army was gradually losing ground; the sight of the Demon Cat rising from whatever level of hell he was from had unnerved them. Oso and Rohl were busy with a few Jellicles; they had managed to gang up on his bodyguards and no matter how many times the Mastiffs knocked them off, they kept coming back. He needed to rally them; give them something to hold on to so they could turn the tide. He looked around quickly and spied Demeter and her family nearby. This would do perfectly; he would not be denied his victory. He hurried toward them forcing his way through a couple of separate fights until he came upon the three of them.

Demeter hissed defiantly and moved to protect her family; the Wolfhound simply smirked. This was going to be easier than he thought. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a movement. Mistoffelees! He was alive; he still had his advantage. The black tux slowly came toward them, his face neutral as always. He could deal with this queen while Magnus killed Munkustrap and rally his troops behind him. His distraction however allowed Demeter to strike, pouncing on him and actually knocking him off his feet. The black and gold queen clawed at him viciously aiming mostly for his face and eyes.

_Why isn't Mistoffelees using his magic, _Magnus wondered, _he should've killed her by now._

Growling he shoved her off and she stumbled right into Misto's arms. Magnus sat up relieved as he saw Misto holding Demeter and turned his attention to Munkustrap. He rose to his feet and reached out for him only to jerk back as a lightning bolt streaked past barely missing his face. Shocked, he turned to Misto; the black tux's paws were covered in sparks and his face was a mask of hatred. Fear washed over the Wolfhound; the hypnosis spell…it was broken!

"Oso! Rohl! Kill him!" Magnus shouted as Misto came toward him. Thankfully the two Mastiffs heard their leader and raced toward the tux snarling. They came to within three steps of the tux, leaped at him and…stopped. Something had a hold of them; suspending them in mid air and though they struggled and snapped, they weren't going anywhere. Debris from the piles around them and pieces from the collapsed pile suddenly whipped through the air, bouncing off the two Mastiffs and Magnus himself, to encircle Demeter, Munk and Jemima; like a shield of some kind. Looking to his left, Magnus again found himself looking into Wisp's smirking face.

"I got these two Misto," Wisp said casting a sidelong glance at the Conjuring Cat, "He's all yours."

With a slight nod of his head, the Mastiffs suddenly flew backward tumbling head over tail with the Ghost Cat right behind them. Magnus turned to the black tux steeling himself.

"I don't know how you broke the spell Mistoffelees," Magnus said drawing himself up to his full height, "And it doesn't matter. No cat can stand against me!"

"Demeter could," Misto said with a light shrug.

Enraged, Magnus rushed at Misto; he could easily overpower the small cat but as he swung his huge paw at him, the tux vanished. Magnus stumbled as he caught nothing but air and Misto reappeared in front of him hitting him in the face knocking him back. Wisp's shield responded also to the Wolfhound getting too close; pieces of it flung themselves at him forcing him away and were immediately replaced by new ones.

The Mastiffs were having an equally tough time with the Demon Cat; though they took him down a couple of times, they were pelted relentlessly by pieces of debris. They tried staying close to Wisp thinking the silver cat would get hit also but the pieces of junk avoided Wisp completely; arcing around him to strike the dogs. In the midst of the fight, Alonzo was knocked inadvertently to the path of Wisp's lightning bolt. It suddenly split; arcing around the black and white tom then split again to strike both dogs. Alonzo looked dumbfounded for a moment then snapped back to reality as another dog came at him. The Mastiffs were at a loss; they looked at each other for a moment then back to the Demon Cat. Suddenly, Oso grabbed Rohl and shoved him toward the silver cat. Wisp tripped the dog as he stumbled toward him then grabbed hold of his head before he could get up, pulling him into a sitting position. A cruel smile on his face, Wisp twisted the dog's head to the left then yanked it back to the right. A loud crack sounded and Oso looked in horror at the silver cat as his friend's limp form collapsed. The Mastiff turned and fled racing out of the junkyard as fast as he could.

"No!" Magnus shouted as he saw Oso fleeing, "Get back here you coward!"

The Pollicles were losing heart now; most of them were trying simply to escape with their lives. Some still fought on but they were no match for the Jellicles. Mistoffelees lunged at Magnus again taking the huge dog off his feet. Magnus was really angry now and kicked the black tux off him then kicked him again before he could get up. Misto tumbled away but the Wolfhound was relentless, kicking him again, this time in the face when he stopped tumbling to send him sprawling on his back. He grabbed the tux around the neck and started to squeeze; he knew Misto couldn't use his magic if he couldn't breathe and he was determined to crush the life of the conjurer. Suddenly, the shield surrounding Demeter, Jemima and Munk burst outward peppering the huge dog and driving him back then the same force that caught the Mastiffs took hold of him and tossed him into the center of the clearing.

It was over; the remaining dogs had at last fled leaving their leader alone against the tribe. Magnus stood up as the cats surrounded him. Still he held himself with pride.

"If I must fall," he declared, "I will take one of you with me!"

He surged forward, forcing his way through the tribe and seized the injured Jemima, knocking Demeter and Munkustrap aside. The kitten struggled weakly and Magnus opened his jaws to clamp them down on her neck. His teeth barely touched her when Misto threw a lightning bolt at him, striking his arm and forcing him to drop his prey. The kitten didn't hit the ground as Wisp's mind stopped her fall then guided her back to her mother. With Jemima safe, Mistoffelees threw one final lightning bolt at the Wolfhound hitting him full in the chest as he had made Misto do to her. The blast punched the Pollicle from his feet and he slammed into a junk pile behind him dead before he even realized what was happening.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Coming To Terms

Two days after reclaiming the junkyard, the Jellicles were still busy with the clean up. All of the dogs that had been killed in the last fight, including Magnus, were taken away and buried outside their territory. No one expected to hear from any of the survivors anytime soon either so there was no worry of any counter attacks. Since Munk was injured badly during the Pollicles invasion, Alonzo had taken over his duties as Protector until he recovered. He seemed pretty happy with his role even though most of the tribe jokingly said he had no idea what he was doing. They cleaned up as much of the collapsed junk pile and the other debris as they could and took all their bedding out to get the awful smell of dog out of it. What things they couldn't get the smell out of they discarded and found new ones.

Though he was happy to have his body back, Mistoffelees couldn't help but feel guilty about what he had done. Each time he went into Jenny's den to help her with taking out some of the dog smelling bedding his heart felt like it was tearing in half when he saw the injured cats in there. Even though they understood that Misto hadn't done it of his own will, it was still painful to see. The worst was when he saw Jemima; the image of her being blasted off the junk pile by his lightning and watching her crash to the ground in the clearing was burned into his memory forever. That and the look on Munk's face when he looked up at him. He sometimes had nightmares where he would watch himself nearly kill her; he would want to stop it so badly but he would be frozen in place. He would scream at Jemima to get away but she never heard him. His body would then turn to him laughing and Magnus's voice would taunt him saying he was too weak to stop him. Either that or he would repeat the experience all over again. She was getting better; she and Munk were staying in their own den so Demeter could keep an eye on both of them but the guilt was driving him insane.

His mind was made up; he had to leave. He just couldn't bear staying here any longer. He'd made this vow while he was still under Magnus's control and now it was time to live up to it. He didn't know where he would go or what he would do but anything would be better than staying here. First, he had to say goodbye to Munk; he dreaded even seeing him again but he figured his friend deserved at least that much. Munk, or more likely Demeter, would tell the rest of the tribe later. He crossed the yard to Munk's den, not really looking around that much; he knew the others were watching him but right then he didn't care. All he wanted was to go.

"Hello?" he called softly tapping on the doorway.

"Hi Misto," Demeter said appearing from near the back of the den. She wore her usual warm smile but it faded quickly as she approached him. "What's wrong?"

"Is Munk awake? I need to talk to him," Misto said avoiding the question and her gaze. A soft sigh from inside the den gave him his answer. "Come on in Misto," Munk's slightly gravely voice said.

_This is it,_ the tux thought as he walked past Demeter, _don't back out now._

The silver tabby lay on his side looking toward the door. His body was pretty beat up and Misto figured it would be a while before Munk was back in full form. As he approached, Munk slowly and painfully tried pulling himself up into a sitting position; Demeter came over and gently helped him up.

"What's on your mind?" Munk asked a light grin trying to form on his face.

Misto fiddled with his paws and looked at the floor; it was so hard for him to be in here and the sight of his friend only added to his nervousness.

"Misto?"

"I…I can't stay here," Misto said quickly, "Not anymore."

"What do you mean?" Demeter asked. Misto shook his head thinking he should've just left when he had the chance.

"I can't take this," he finally blurted out, "This is all my fault! Everyone got hurt because I was too weak to stop that mutt from hypnotizing me! I nearly killed Jemima and I almost killed you guys too!" He took a deep breath. "Everyone hates me, I _know_ they do; I can see it! They act like they understand but they don't! I just have to go. I can't live like this."

Without another word he turned and ran out of the den, ignoring his friends' calls. He needed to get out of there; leave it all behind, start over again fresh. He briefly wondered where he would go; maybe to the south part of London; there weren't too many cat tribes there so he'd be able to stay hidden. Anywhere but here.

He was nearly to the gate when he was stopped dead in his tracks. He thrashed about for a moment thinking that maybe Tugger or someone had caught him but when he looked behind him, some of the cats were watching him but no one was holding him.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Misto sighed; he should've known. He looked to the right as Wisp materialized next to him.

"I don't know where I'm going," Misto said in a defeated tone, "And I don't care. I just want to be away from here." Wisp slowly began walking around the tux like a shark circling a seal.

"And you think leaving will stop the pain?" the Ghost Cat asked, "You think by leaving all your friends behind all the memories will stop?"

"Just let me go," Misto said. Wisp growled and gave the black tux a hard slap on the back of his head.

"Look at you," he sneered, "The Magical Mister Mistoffelees, the Conjuring Cat running away like a scared kitten."

"Well what the hell am I supposed to do?" Misto demanded glaring up at the silver cat, "I can't stand the sight of this place!"

"Fight through it," Wisp snarled back. He glanced behind the tux to see Jemima coming toward them. She moved a little slower than usual but her injuries had healed enough that she could move. Wisp smirked. "And here's your chance," he said then leaned in close to Misto, "Don't blow it." He walked around Misto and passed Jemima, who glanced at him nervously, releasing his hold on the tux when she got to him.

"Misto are you okay?" she asked, "What were you guys arguing about?"

"N-nothing," Misto said looking away from her.

"What's wrong?" she asked gently taking hold his arm. The softness of her touch almost made the tux break down but he held it together. He was about to pull his arm away from her when he remembered Wisp's words: _Fight through it._ He slowly turned his head toward her, his heart aching painfully.

"I…I just…can't forgive myself for what I did," he told her, "I was too weak…I never should've let that mutt hypnotize me." He looked at the bandage covering her chest then looked away. "And look what happened."

Jemima gently turned him back around so he was looking her in the eye. "There wasn't anything you could do," she said, "Magnus could've done that to any of us. It wasn't your fault Misto; it was all him. _He_ did this to me not you. I know you; you'd never hurt any of us."

Misto's heart twisted, the pain mixing with what felt like relief . She was right; Magnus was the one responsible for his actions; he had no control over what he was doing; basically he'd been a puppet on a string nothing more. It was still hard for him to look at a few of his friends but he figured that this was his first step in coming to terms with what happened. It would take a while but he knew now he could do it. He would fight through this.


End file.
